Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Making money

I’ve mentioned before about Havoc wasting spending his allowance on Pokemon cards and this weekend was no different in that respect. What was different was the amount of money he had available.

He only gets $2 a week as an allowance. $2. He’s 7. He doesn’t need more money, opportunities to spend it are limited and the whole purpose of an allowance at this point is to learn money management. He can buy ice cream at 50 cents a serving in the school cafeteria or he can save up 2 weeks for a $3.99 pack of cards.

And almost from the beginning Havoc has been an ‘eyes on the prize’ saver, working out just how long it will take him to buy whatever he wants and how much longer he is willing to wait in exchange for the occasional ice cream or candy bar.

Havoc was able to spend $20 replacing a scratched up Lego Batman Wii game for his brother last Xmas. He not only saves for himself, he buys for others.

A few weeks ago with about $12 in his wallet we went to target and he bought the $10.99 box of Pokemon cards. Mayhem, who does not get an allowance yet, had earned himself a $3.99 pack through helpfulness and good behavior. All the money was spent & we went home.

Saturday DH took the kids into town for lunch and a trip to Target, Havoc wanted to buy more Pokemon cards & by this point should have had $6-7 worth of allowance.

Imagine DH’s surprise when Havoc picks up the $20.99 box of of cards. Havoc says he has $23 to spend. DH calls me up and asks if Havoc had done a bunch of chores or something to earn the money while DH was out of town. Havoc has not lifted a finger around the house unless nagged to do so.

So where did he get the money?

Some 5th grader on the school bus paid Havoc $16 to draw a bunch of Bakugan pictures for him. He had a ‘how to draw bakugan book’ or something and on the way to and from school Havoc drew pictures out of it.

And the kid paid him $16 for doing it.

Now, on the one hand… Wow! My son - commercial artist at age 7! Way to go with that entrepreneurial spirit and talent.

On the other hand… WTF? A 5th grader, paying a 2nd grader $16 to draw some Bakugan figures from a book?

I mean…ok…but doesn’t it strike you just a bit odd? I can see it happening. I have no idea how much allowance this kid gets or makes in chores etc. He obviously thought it worth the money or he wouldn’t have offered to pay. Havoc likes drawing & would have drawn it anyway. He takes his Pokemon drawing book with him on the bus for something to do on the drive.

I guess because it’s just something that never occurred to me could be a commercial transaction among the elementary school set, I’m left wondering about it.

12 comments:

OK, totally with you on the "that's really weird" front. The amount of money the 5th grader had isn't out of the realm of what I'd expect some kids in my area to get at 10 years old (we live in an area where people spoil their kids) but to pay it to a seven year old to draw pictures? That's more than odd.

He He!! I'm laughing at the picture in my head...that would be my boys with Star Wars pictures! Boy, if they rode the bus...what an opportunity! :) They are always trying to think of ways to earn money to buy MORE AND MORE Star Wars toys...like we need another one! I smiled as I read this post because it comforted me to know that there's another family of boys out there that makes the required allowance trips to Target...with 3 boys it's a never ending conversation!!! :)

Has Havoc been drawing for several kids, at so-much-a-picture? Or did he just manage to negotiate a flat-rate $16 with this one boy? My DS is also a keen saver. He now favours the Warhammer models, which which he and his friends stage battles of amazing complexity (!!). However, I think I'd be anxious, even now (he is 13 on sunday), if he was engaging in "big-money" transactions on the bus to school... It could rather put Havoc (and you) in a tricky position, should the other kid's mom or dad object. Having said that, if Havoc negotiated this himself, in the company of other children to witness it; if he made the drawings he had promised and delivered on his promise, then he has earned his dollars and I admire his entreprenurial spirit! If it was my son, I think I might have a serious chat about the issues that could arise from this - making sure he is aware and thinking carefully. You wouldn't want him to lay himself open to bullying from older boys because of a disagreement. On the other hand, boys have been doing this for centuries and perhaps we should not stop them - as long as we make certain they are being fair, honest and above all, careful.

On the other hand, this could be a complete story, and he has the money from re-selling duplicate pokemon cards or from some less prosocial behavior.

And I say this as the mom who keeps a shoplifted (and paid for)"Bart Simpson's Guide to Life' on her bookshelf as a reminder of the shock to her complacency of a VERY bad year with my eldest, now a contributing member of society at 21.

Is that what you're asking? ;)

I'd be tempted to try to get another version, or independent confirmation.

Always a delicate balance between wanting to trust your child's word at face value and checking into a fishy story! I'd say it warrants a some subtle Q&A and keeping an eye on further developments.

BTW, if your child is indeed a budding artistic entrepreneur, you might consider letting him set up a shop on CafePress - he can crank out some TShirts/etc and try his hand at selling those. Hint: grandparents are always a good target market. It's a great way to learn some business basics. My son did this when he was younger and you can see his store at http://www.cafepress.com/willtoons But this is NOT a plug to buy anything - just an example! When he grew up, he decided he hated marketing and could make more money (and/or meet more girls ;-) as a lifeguard.